12-09-2018 - NY-23

After a frigid and mildly snowy Saturday, today's weather warmed up to the upper 20s and the plain clouds cleared out by mid-morning, making for excellent walking weather. Having finished Cochrane Road, I decided to walk a portion of State Route 23, where it heads up the mountain towards the town of Windham. Although I intended to reach the town line, a late start forced me to turn away a half-mile short. Still, the walk totaled over 3.5 miles (half uphill), longer than my weekday evening walks, and was one of the most beautiful walks I've taken in recent memory.

Sunset from the Windham Overlook, where I parked. A clear, cold night made
for beautiful color gradients.

Descending the mountain road beneath a beautifully bloated contrail.

Sunset from the roadside. The view-facing side of the 55 mph road had very
short shoulders, so stopping for pictures was a bit of a gamble.

A large hemlock splits this northward view.

Looking back towards the southeast, I could see parts of the highway I had just
walked. NY-23 twists as it climbs the mountain, gaining over 1000 ft of elevation
in just a few miles.

Steep cliffs on both sides of the road made for spectacular, if slightly
perilous, views.

I find that sunset often looks best in the east, where shadows have already
covered the land. 

As the highway wraps around a limb called Kate Hill, a wonderful close view
of Windham High Peak and its north slope can be seen.

Shale cliffs lined the mountain-facing side of the highway, ranging from about
ten to thirty feet tall.

A westward view of Mount Zoar. Just past where I turned around, the highway
reaches its highest point at the col between Zoar and Windham.

This snow-covered private road, cut through the cliffs, has seen some traffic.

The miles of cliffs were all covered in frozen waterfalls such as this.

Earlier view from the overlook, in a more eastward direction.

Looking north from the overlook.